Paul Pogba‘s agent has confirmed the Juventus player would miss the tournament in Qatar as a result of his latest injury setback.
The French midfielder is set to be out for a further three weeks with a thigh issue suffered in training, according to L’Équipe.
Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta has now said the problem would keep him out of the tournament in the latest blow to France, who have already lost N’Golo Kante to injury.
‘Paul would like to resume as soon as possible but he must be patient, work hard in these difficult times and give the best of himself to be back on the field for the fans and his team as soon as possible,’ Pimenta told Telefoot.
France boss Didier Deschamps had said he will only select players who are fit for their opening World Cup match with Australia on November 22.
Reports close to the Juventus star said the 29-year-old sustained a new injury while undergoing rehabilitation on an existing knee problem that has meant he has not played a competitive game for Juventus since rejoining the club in the summer.
Pogba had been ruled out for almost two months after undergoing surgery on his right knee in September.
The surgeon who performed Pogba’s operation reportedly revealed that he and the doctors had agreed on a ‘necessary’ recovery time of eight weeks before the Frenchman can return to first-team training.
It had still been hoped he would recover in time for the start of the tournament on November 20.
Deschamps had previously warned Pogba, who returned to Juventus that he would only select the midfielder if he was fully fit and in top form.
‘He will not come just because he is a ‘framework,” the French manager said in September.
‘If he has not played before and is not in top form, it is useless. He does not want it.’
